While some may view bards as nothing more than charming jesters, the class is considered by some to be the most overpowered inBaldur’s Gate 3. Much of that comes from the role they play within the party and the types of spells they use. Whether focusing on melee or spellcasting, there are a few items throughoutBG3that will help any bard give the best performance they can.
Bards have a wonderful amount of versatility, with eachBardic College subclassoffering a very different gameplay experience. Often the faces of the party due to their high Charisma, bards are alsoamazing support characters and their spell list offers tons of options for crowd control in combat. I always have tons of fun playing as a bard and these items help bring out the best in any charismatic storyteller.
15Wondrous Gloves - Rare Gloves
Can Be Looted In Act 1 From Mimic In Grymforge
TheWondrous Glovesare a brilliant pair of gloves inBG3that have been designed specifically with bards in mind. While wearing these rare gloves,the bard will have their AC increased by one and gain one more use of Bardic Inspiration. The gloves can be found in Grymforge and are dropped by a mimic near the Harper cache, which can be a little tricky to find, especially during a first playthrough. Luckily,rAAZhas a great video to show how to find the hidden location and beat the mimics.
14Boots Of Brilliance - Rare Boots
Can Be Found In Act 2 Inside Heavy Chest In The Gauntlet Of Shar
The Boots of Brilliance are another great item specifically meant for bards and allow the restoration of one of the key features of the class. While wearing these rare boots, the bard will be able touse an action to replenish one Bardic Inspiration slot, with this feature able to be used once per long rest to get the most out of every dice roll.
Boots of Brilliance
Once per long rest restore one Bardic Inspiration slot.
These boots can be found in a heavy chest in the Gauntlet of Shar in the same room as the strange spider meat, just north of where Yurgir will ambush the party.
13Cap Of Curing - Uncommon Hat
Can Be Found In Act 1 Inside Locked Gilded Chest In The Druid Grove
A useful early-game item that is perfect for a bard to do a little extra healing is the fittingly namedCap Of Curing. This stylish hat can be found in a locked chest close to where Alfira is practicing her song in the Druid Grove. The Cap of Curing uses a bard’s Bardic Inspiration to heal, aswhen the wearer inspires an ally, that ally will regain 1d6 hit points. However, it is important to note that this healing will happen as the Bardic Inspiration is given, not when it is used.
12The Whispering Promise - Uncommon Ring
Can be Purchased In Act 1 From Volo Or Grat The Trader
The Whispering Promiseis a fantastic ring that can be picked up very early inBG3from Voloas soon as he’s rescued from the goblins. Whenever the wearer heals a target, that targetgains a 1d4 bonus to attack rolls and saving throws, acting the same as theBlessspell. This is incredibly useful all the way throughBG3and I found myself still using the ring in Act 3 as it is extremely overpowered when paired with multi-target healing spells likeMass Healing WordorMass Cure Wounds.
As the ring functions the same asbless, the two effects do not stack.
11Amulet Of Restoration - Rare Amulet
Can Be Purchased In Act 1 From Derryth Bonecloak In The Underdark
Staying on the subject of bards acting as the party healers, theAmulet of Restorationisa perfect way to access two great healing spells without needing to choose them when leveling up. There are two chances to get this amulet, once in Act 1 from Derryth Bonecloak and then again in Act 3 from a chest inside Baldur’s Gate’s Counting House. While wearing this amulet, the bard will have access toHealing Wordat level one andmass healing wordat level three, both of which can be cast once per long rest.
In Act 3, the amulet can be found in a chest called “Private Stash” in the eastern room, down the first set of stairs.
10Cloak Of Displacement - Rare Cloak
Can Be Purchased In Act 3 From Entharl Danthelon
As spellcasters who are only able to wearlight armor, bards don’t always fair so well when in melee with enemies. The Cloak of Displacement is perfect for these situations, as it imposes disadvantage on attack rolls against the wearer when in combat. The cloak will activate when in combat, where its Displacement effectwill trigger at the beginning of the wearer’s turn each round, and the effect will last for two rounds or until the wearer takes damage.
Feature
Cloak of Displacement
At the beginning of each turn, enemies have disadvantage on attack rolls against the wearer. Lasts for 2 turns or until damage is taken.
The cloak can be bought from Entharl Danthelon who can be found in his shop Danthelon’s Dancing Axe in Wrym’s Crossing.
9Ring Of Mental Inhibition - Uncommon Ring
Can Be Found In Act 2 Inside Locked Chest In House Of Deep Shadows
Many of a bard’s best spells require saving throws and the Ring of Mental Inhibition is fantastic for taking advantage of that. When an enemy fails a saving throw against a spell or action triggered by the wearer of this ring, they will gain mental fatigue for two turns. This means thatthe target will have minus one to Wisdom, Intelligence, and Charisma saving throws.
Ring of Mental Inhibition
When an enemy fails a saving throw against the wearer’s spells, they gain mental fatigue for two turns.
The ring can be found in a locked chest inside the House in Deep Shadows in Act, andrAAZshows in their video how to get there from the Shadowed Battlefield waypoint.
8Potent Robe - Very Rare Clothing
Can Be Rewarded In Act 2 By Alfira
ThePotent Robeis a fantastic piece of clothing for any Charisma based caster inBG3, as has an AC of 10 plus the character’s Dexterity modifier. The Potent Robe is a quest reward from Alfira in Act 2, so Dark Urge players will need tosave Alfirato gain this excellent item. While wearing this robe, the bard’scantrips will deal extra damage equal to their Charisma modifier,and at the start of their turn in combat, the robe will grant temporary hit points equal to their Charisma modifier.
7Shifting Corpus Ring - Rare Ring
Can Be Looted In Act 2 From Fist Marcus
Any items that give extra spells are great choices, and theShifting Corpus Ringis worth picking up for any party member in Act 2. However, the ring works well with bards, as it allows them to stay out of the bulk of the fighting to act as support for the tougher group members. While wearing this ring the bard willgain the spellsinvisibilityandBlurat second level, which can both be cast once per long rest. The ring can be looted from Fist Marcus after the battle tosave Isobel in the Last Light Inn.
6Pearl Of Power Amulet - Uncommon Amulet
Can Be Purchased In Act 1 From Omeluum In The Underdark
After completing Omeluum’s quest"Help Omelumm Investigate the Parasite,“the party will be able to trade with the friendly mind flayer and can buy a fantastic item I keep using throughout all of myBG3playthroughs. ThePearl of Power Amuletis brilliant as it lets the wearerreplenish expended spell slots up to third level, once per long rest. With this amulet, the wearer can restore three level one slots, one level three slot, or a mixture of levels one and two. This is amazing for keeping spellcasters going for longer between long rests.
